Shloka 11
Śivāṣṭamūrti-varṇanam
Description of Shiva’s Eight Forms
आप्याययति यो विश्वममृतांशुर्निशाकरः । महादेवस्य तद्रूपं महादेवस्य चाह्वयम्
āpyāyayati yo viśvamamṛtāṃśurniśākaraḥ | mahādevasya tadrūpaṃ mahādevasya cāhvayam
Der, welcher das ganze Weltall nährt und erquicklich erneuert — der Mond, Träger der Nektarstrahlen — ist eine Gestalt Mahādevas; und zugleich ist es einer der heiligen Namen Mahādevas.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Mahadeva
Significance: Meditation on Śiva as Soma (nectar-moon) is taught as a sustaining, cooling vision of the Lord who supports life; it supports devotional contemplation rather than a specific kṣetra-phala.
Type: stotra
Role: nurturing
FAQs
The verse teaches that the nourishing moon is not separate from the Supreme Lord; it is a recognizable, saguna manifestation and name of Mahādeva, encouraging devotion by seeing Śiva’s presence sustaining the cosmos.
It supports saguna upāsanā: just as the Liṅga is a sacred, approachable emblem of Śiva, cosmic functions like the moon’s cooling nourishment are also to be revered as Śiva’s revealed forms and invoked as His names.
Japa with Śiva-nāma while contemplating the moon as ‘Niśākara/Amṛtāṃśu’—a reminder of Śiva’s cooling grace—can be paired with simple nightly dhyāna and offering water or milk in Śiva-pūjā (especially on Mondays).